"Along the Edge" was a great experience for me. I've played it twice already and I will surely play again in the future, just to see more of the possible outcomes. The game itself is short - one playthrough takes about 2 hours, but in my opinion, it's well worth the price. Writing is solid, protagonist is interesting, choices are not obvious (no morally good or bad decisions) and lead to various consequences (including protagonist's personality, responses and looks). Every character has something redeemable about them, everyone has some sort of motive and goal. I love the art style - there are so many various CGs, that this itself, should justify the price. Also, music is absolutely stunning and adds to the atmosphere.

My only complaint would be lack of skip option - replaying the game would be much more enjoyable experience if I could skip seen text.

This is a review purely to list issues with this game, for those who are considering a purchase.

To be absolutely clear, the game itself is perfectly decent. It has great art, and a decent story. Not the best VN I've read, but it is clearly a labour of love which focuses on having a decent unique story with good art.

However, there are some issues with it which may put off some people, myself included, which I hope will help in any purchase decision.

Firstly, for those who are accustomed to playing VNs, luxuries in terms of interface and navigation are completely absent from this game. Examples include:

1. No ability to speed up text for those of us who read quickly, or who want to text skip to see the results of other options2. Very few customisation options, for even things like SOUND in the options menu3. Zero ability to go back and select another option, because the game forces you into an autosave feature, without any options for manual saving.

I know number 3 is a controversial one, but I'm of the belief that different people have different ways they want to enjoy the game. To intentionally grief them by not having a load system to pick different choices is stupid. Please don't do it.

This is further compounded by the fact the game has the very common flaw of having vague choice descriptions, which often lead to the protagonist taking actions and producing outcomes completely unforseeable from the choices you made.

Overall, go ahead and buy the game, but it has very clear and annoying flaws I hope the developer will take a note of and fix, or change for any future releases they make.

A few hours ago a friend of mine logged to tell me about this visual novel. I checked the game title, I never heard of it. I checked the development company, I never heard of them. I looked at the trailer, and the art style intrigued me enough to try it out.

Along the Edge is a visual novel that tells the story of a Ph.D. student that due to certain circumstances is forced to give up on her research and move from the city to a town. It is a fairly interesting story of self-discovery, of family grudges - possible ways to solve them (Stabby! Stabby! Or other more boring venues of conflict resolution...) and between scientific reasoning and the occult.

Aesthetics:

Along the Edge has an interesting aesthetic to it. The graphics are very good for its genre. They fit the story and do not disturb the reader. The choice to use pastel paintings as the imagery and the piano notes that play as we are reading help cement the rustic feel of the setting and enforce the idea that we are in a small town.

The characters portrayed fit their environment and act in a logical manner fitting their constructed personality, depending on your choices their reaction to the reader will change in a believable manner (events do not feel forced upon the reader) and depending on your choices the character's appearance will change to fit the reader's decisions (a nice touch for immersion).

The characters are not voiced (some might find this a plus for immersion – imagining character voices or a minus, I have no stance on this).

Functionality:

The game has a well thought out alignment system that helps define the character using four symbols: the sun, the moon, the globe and the star. You gain points in a certain alignment depending on your decisions. Points are granted per choice. The alignment is bidimensional, it affects your attitude (sun or moon) and beliefs (globe or star). The consequences of those choices are visible and change the way your character looks and how she acts in certain scenes (the changes are noticed are just in small segments of text but affect the overall feel of the story). If you are positive to people and conciliatory you gain sun alignment points (no numerical value is given - they are lit after making a decision, I use the term points because it is easier for me to explain the system); if you are direct and focus on your views, even if they hurt the interlocutor or damage your social position, you gain moon points; if you are rational, a sceptic and follow the scientific method you gain globe points and if you believe in the immaterial and occult or have an inclination towards intuition and instinct rather than the concise you gain star points.

I did not encounter any game breaking technical issues (I encountered issues with steam overlay getting stuck while in fullscreen mode and using the F12 key to take screenshots only worked after alt+tabbing from the game and alt+tabbing back - 16.10.2016) or glaring spelling mistakes while playing.

The game does not have a skip functionality, it might be a bit tedious for some after multiple playthroughs.

The game's options are very limited. You can choose between sound or no sound and the display settings are either fullscreen or windowed mode.

Achievements are granted after finishing a route.

Enjoyment:

I found myself taking it very lightly while reading and before I knew it... it was over. Before I knew it a good hour has passed and I was very satisfied. The developers tell a concise and well-written story.

Conclusion:

The pricing on this game is adequate for its genre and for what it has to offer (finishing a route is 1 hour – 1.5 hours, judging from the achievements there are at least four routes). It is not a monumental work like G-Senjou no Maou, Steins;Gate, Muv-Luv etc... but it has its place. It is a very good western visual novel and I think most of the fans of this genre would find it very enjoyable.

A visual novel telling the story of Daphne Delatour, who finds herself embroiled in the middle of a supernaturally fuelled age old family feud, after inheriting her estranged grandmother's castle.

It's a good length to tell a decent and compelling story, without ever feeling like it's dragging on too much. No filler material.

The story has several twists and branches, with the choices that you make being rather important for the outcomes that occur. I've played it through enough to get almost all that could be seen (just missing two achievements).

I think they do it well in making the choices less about you the playing picking what happens, and more so you making choices that reveal the type of personality that Daphne has, and letting the plot progress from there. You're not choosing what she does, you're choosing who she is. I really like that from a VN.

The art direction does a wonderful job of setting the tone of the game, truly making you feel immersed in a surreal experience. The soundtrack is simple, but likewise helps set the mood.

This is a game that makes no effort whatsoever to adhere to the typical anime tropes that always seem to drag down most visual novels out there, and for that I absolutely applaud it. We need to see more of this.

This game sat on my wishlist for a while before being gifted to me by a freind. I wish I'd played it sooner as I really enjoyed it. My first playthrough took me around 3.5 hours and I have since completed the game a further 8 times in just over 8 hours and got all the achievements.

There is a huge amount of content and I saw numerous character changes, story archs and endings and am still sure there are things I haven't seen. The story was interesting and kept me going back for more, wanting to see how else events could play out. The artwork is really stunning and the music is lovely too, though not very varied (it does get a little repetitive after multiple playthroughs).

The only real problem with the game is that there are parts where the translation from French to English is . . . dubious, strange use of tenses and things that may have been translated too directly. I wouldn't normally mind so much but as it is such a heavily text based game I feel more care should have been taken; but for the most part it was clear what was being said and what was going on. Voice acting would also have been nice but I found I didnt mind so much after playing the game for a while.

It is a relatively short and slow game/story and is entirely made up of still images and text but it is definitely not boring and has heaps of replayability. Happy to recommend.

I have played "Along The Edge" since it was available in itch.to so I bought it many months before. Despite certain qualms about it I liked the presentation and the character of Daphne Delatour a lot.

The Music is HAUTINGLY Beautiful. It stays with you a lot :) The piano score is absolutely gorgeous and is pretty melodic and captures the very essence of the game.

The visuals are exquisite and unique to the game. The artwork touches on beautiful backdrop and is in the surrealist or brushed stroked style. Closeups however dop use softer colours and more prominent brush strokes. The game focuses a lot on details. You can actually see the months pass and what little changes your character has to her persion. That is one of the best parts of the game for example, length of hair.

I got into this game not knowing much but then I compiled some understanding of it. So one good thing I noticed is that the Steam version tells you WHY and HOW you can get an achievement. I mean I struggled initially to unlock some. Which is actually good because the game did meet up to a certain level of challenge.

The game allows you to shape Daphne in various ways. There are some integral choices. The best parts are some of the minor CAN or CANNOT change how Daphne is progressing. This game is based upon the supernatural but guess what? You do not need to divulge in it to get an ENDING THAT PRETTY MUCH WORKS IN YOUR FAVOUR.

There are certain characters you can ONLY meet in a PARTICULAR route and you can ONLY do specific things in particular routes. There are some endings that require you to be someone else. Yet, the visuals, the storytelling, the pace and all the choices can be challenging and immersive.

You can pursue romance at your own discretion. They unlock achievements but they are not needed even if you want your desired ending.

The games "x" and "y" are the "globe" and "star" they are basically the two points of reference. They are also the "north" and "south" of the game. The "north" is the route enshrined in science and rationality. The "south" is enshrined in magic and esoteric beliefs. Basically, north is the head and south is the instinct. Basic body anatomical reference. The "blue sun" and the "red moon" are the variables. They are the "west" and "east" respectively. The "blue moon" embodies restraint, patience and calm whilst the "red moon" embodies aggressiveness, impulse and tempestuousness. Which icons pop up during gameplay actually determines Daphne's overall destiny. Though there are some choices where you need to guess as no icons will pop up but this challenges you. Those can be found in certain choices and may also have achievements linked to them.

My only criticism of the game lies in the fact I feel some choices make Daphne "darker" when I feel she is just blowing off steam or protecting herself. Daphne meets a lot of unfashionable people. In fact, some of them are downright malicious and pretty much hurting her. One of them is one of the most annoying characters I have ever met in any game and sometimes I wish Daphne could tell him what a loser he was to his face.

Other than that, this is a good game. Worth your while. You should give it a chance if you are into visual novel plays like this :)

Okay now for SPOILERS:

In this game there are 4 core personas you can engage with. They are as follows:

In all honesty the most flexible end is the +Prodigal Daughter one. I think that one is the one where all accessible truths and revenge and romance can all be perfectly courted in some form or another.

+Eulogist of Progress: This is basically the ending where you are the queen of logic and science and pretty much do things rationally all the way. You become director to the Middle School you taught. Daphne cuts off her hair. She gets platinum blonde hair. You will see her in really professional wear and jeans in this route. You cannot get Frank in this route. You can get Stanislas in this route. You cannot get magical based achievements in this route. You can however let Yves Malterre get to his own magical stuff in this one if you choose. Follows The globe and red moon markers principally.

+Cartesian Mind: Basically a less aggressive version of the former route. You get to be sound in mind and you can actually well be a teacher that you wanted to be. Daphne starts wearing professional clothes like mid skirts. You can get Frank in this route (of course, you are not intimidating for that jerk in this one :/). You can also get Stanislas in this route. You get glasses and tied up hair in this route. As the former one you cannot get magical based achievements in this route. You can, however, choose to let Yves carry out his own magical stuff in this one. In my opinion, this route is the worst of all routes and makes you blanch.Follows the globe and blue sun markers principally.

+Heart of Darkness: This is one of the most exciting routes ever. You become kinda jaded but doesn't mean you can do some of the stuff you like. This is the dark witch route. In this route you tackle the magical components of the game head on. Daphne starts wearing subtle gothic clothes in this one. You get silver highlights first. Then eventually black hair. Frank is not romanceble in this option (gets intimidated that annoying man :/). Stanislas can be your spouse in this option. You can directly get revenge on Yves in this option or you can choose to forgive him. It is suggested as you not so disciplined in this route certain elements of magic come in this route a bit disturbingly. Follows the red moon and star markers principally.

+Prodigal Daughter: Pretty much the same only the GOOD WITCH route. This actually allows you to UNCOVER ALL THE RANGE OF THE GAME without being at risk. Daphne starts wearing medieval clothes in this one. Basically, it is implied that you followed magic with discipline in this option so you get certain magical elements in the best way in this one. You are directly engaged with magical elements in this one. You first get silver highlights in your hair and then eventually get fully silver hair. You can choose to directly take revenge on Yves in this route or you can forgive him. Frank is romanceable in this option. Though I wonder why seeing he doesn't care or even is interested in your magical lineage that annoying man :/ Stanislas, as usual, can be your spouse in this one if you choose. Follows the blue moon and star markers principally.

In all options, you can stay single and go about your life. Even if you initially engaged in some relations with Frank and Stanislas.

In all options you can forgive or destroy the Malterre line.

The choice is upto you :)

Character I hate the most is Frank Duval, Daphne's ex. This guy is the pinnacle of ignorance and intolerance in some cases. Trust me. If Frank felt you were being mean to him he is gonna be such a horrible jerk. Like, for example, you don't want to reignite your relationship. Still, if Frank knows you are dating someone new he becomes such a jerk. I was like hey man chill. It's not like Daphne made promises to you.

I like how you can pretty much be with Stanislas in ANY of the routes. I really loved his character A LOT. I loved how subversive he was in some ways. How supportive and kind he was when you ACTUALLY needed it as Daphne. I would say I love the game for showing such a honest and kind male character like Stanislas Malterre.Stanislas Malterre loves Daphne more for Daphne. Like, he seems to not care much about her wealth or affiliations. Stanislas cares about family and the familial bond he can have with you. You can already see him being a foster father to his nephew. He even readily goes against his dad for your character. Stanislas is one of the best characters, especially a male character, in a genre like this. Great job on him Nova-box.

I was surprised by Along the Edge. I was made aware of the game by writer Geoffroy Vincens, who contacted me after seeing our coverage of Lucy Blundell’s One Night Stand and thinking the game might grab our interest. While I was initially a little skeptical about an “Adult Interactive Visual Novel with Occult Elements”, I am pleased to say my judging of this book by it’s cover was misplaced.

Along the Edge is certainly a mature story, dealing with adult themes, but it’s not over sexualized, or trying harder than it needs to to be taken seriously. Likewise, the occult elements of the story are not misplaced and don’t feel slapped on for ‘spice’. They are an integral and well constructed part of the plot.

More than anything, Along the Edge is a story about a woman, Daphne, dealing with past trauma and turning over a new leaf. This is not a story to put yourself into; it is Daphne’s story, and Along the Edge‘s dedication to this fact helps make it an engaging and thought provoking story where the choices you make really do matter, and have the potential to create entirely different narratives.

Along the Edge casts you as Daphne, a young woman who is in a pretty serious rut, unsatisfied with both her personal and professional life and having recently gone through a number of life changing traumas. One day, you find out your grandmother has made you the beneficiary of her estate, a large castle-esq villa in a french country village. You take this as a chance to get away from the negativity in your life and turn over a new leaf, taking a substitute teaching job in the villages school.

Suffice to say, there’s more going on than is let on at first glance. We won’t spoil anything, but by the end of things there are romantic relationships in play, generations old family feuds, ancient magic and prophetic dreams. All of this hinges on the choices you make as Daphne.

Note, I didn’t say ” The choices you make”. I said “the choices you make as Daphne”. Along the Edge is very much a story about a character who is already established, already has a history and motivations all her own. She is not a character you can easily mold to be your vision of yourself in this situations, and that isn’t the goal of the choices you make in Along the Edge. You’re guiding a character in one of a number of different ways, but these choices are firmly planted in the context of the world.

To me, this gave the story of Along the Edge, and the choices being made, a surprising weight. By restricting the reactions, choices, and ways things could play out based on the mindset and personality of an already established main character, the developers created and incredible sense of validity. True, there was less of a sense of self-reflection in this character, and you feel more like an outsider watching a story unfold as opposed to some other visual novels and narrative games that emphasis putting you into the shoes of their protagonist, but the choice is incredibly successful in engaging the player and getting them involved in the story.

Mechanically, the choices you make in Along the Edge are selected from the screen, and then the impact of those choices are relayed back to you in the form of a four-pointed compass at the top of the screen. Your choices each impact one of the four points of this compass: The Star, The Globe, The Sun or The Moon. Some choices will stagger between two of these symbols, but ultimately the choices you make will fall somewhere on this compass much like a four pointed alignment chart. Additionally, after particularly momentous decisions in the game, there will be very obvious visual changes to Daphne as she grows and learns about this world, and about herself.

By making these choices, character will change the way they react to you, enter or leave your life, or reveal new opportunities. One of the major axis that revolve around this compass is your acceptance or rejection of the magic imbued into this new environment. It’s clear there is something of a supernatural nature going on in your grandmother’s castle, and in the town, but you can steer Daphne towards either welcoming this magic with open arms, or pragmatically shutting the door in it’s face. This particular aspect of the game’s narrative over joyed me, as typically the acceptance of magic in stories involving it is a given fact. It was a wonderful change of pace to instead give the player a chance to accept or deny this fact, and see how this affected the characters in the story.

As noted above, this is spoiler free review, so we won’t reveal the major twists of the story, however you can rest assured that the choices made in Along the Edge are not only cosmetic. They have a real impact of the way this story unfolds, and the way Daphne fulfills her role in it. This fact alone gives Along the Edge an incredible amount of replayability, as there are numerous narratives to uncover and explore.

The art of Along the Edge is beautiful. The painterly scenes of castles and sleepy town shift between season and realities. The town is charming and beautiful, and Daphne’s grandmother’s castle oozes with mystery and history. However, the art chops of Along the edge really get to show their stuff in the dream sequences, which are trippy, fantastical and full of symbolism.

The music is just as fantastic, full of haunting piano melodies that are all at once haunting, morose and calming. The Art and music of Along the Edge combine beautifully and do a superb job of getting you in the exact brain space for this kind of slower paced narrative experience.

Along the Edge is a fantastic narrative experience that drops you into the life of a character in conflict. In conflict with herself, her environment, and even her reality. By guiding this character and making meaningful choices for her, you are made part of a story where those choices has demonstrable effects on the narrative and its conclusion. It’s a rewarding journey alongside a slice out of this character’s life, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Honestly the only visual novel game I enjoyed playing so far.Beautiful artwork, great background music, and an intriguing storyline.

If you get bored easily of just reading texts, this might be a better visual novel for you, as it allows you to make your own choices in the story with lots of different outcomes.Which gives the game a huge replay value!

I'll cut to the chase, this game is good. It sucked me in very early on and never let go. The art is good and sucks you in initiallyThe audio is good and sets the mood perfectlyThe story grabs you when you are in and never lets you go

After 1 playthrough I checked some of the achievements and now I want to play again. This feels like one of those story games that does it 100% right.